Pennsylvania’s year-old opioid disaster declaration and related efforts are cutting into the number of people who are dying from overdoses from heroin and other opioids, Dr. Rachel Levine said on Monday.

Levine, who is the state secretary of health, said those numbers have yet to show up in figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But she said she’s convinced overdose rates are falling in some Pennsylvania counties. She attributed it to things including more overdose victims being saved as the result of increased access to the overdose reversal drug naloxone, and more overdose survivors and others getting treatment as a result of state-driven efforts.

Still, she said the fight against the opioid addiction and overdose crisis is far from over, and Pennsylvania has no plans to scale back on its effort.

“Gov. [Tom] Wolf is absolutely committed to addressing the opioid crisis and it is one of the priorities of the administration and certainly one of the priorities for our second term,” said said during an update Monday.

Pennsylvania about a year ago established an “Opioid Command Center” to coordinate work of 16 state agencies in position to impact the opioid crisis.

The center is located within the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Susquehanna Township, where more than a dozen state officials stood on a stage Monday to give a progress report.

They cited progress including treating about 12,000 people who came to 45 state-run treatment centers, saving about 20,000 lives as the result of naloxone administered by police and medical first responders, and greatly expanding the availability of “warm handoffs” into treatment to overdose survivors brought to emergencies rooms.

Still, much remains a work in progress, with officials acknowledging problems such as getting hospitals to provide warm handoffs in a few counties, and some remaining “pill mills” of doctors prescribing opioids that feed the crisis.

Officials said many people are getting connected to treatment after calling the state’s hotline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

In a news release, the Wolf administration cited these actions aimed at the opioid crisis:

— The Prescription Drug Monitoring Program has reduced the prescription of opioids by more than 20 percent and has virtually eliminated doctor shopping.

— Eight PacMAT centers are serving as part of a hub-and-spoke model to provide treatment to people where they live.

— The establishment of the OCC and its capacity to facilitate coordination across agencies has helped to tear down silos and provide solutions to this crisis and discuss areas of work that overlap among several agencies in a streamlined manner.

— The waiver of birth certificate fees for those with opioid use disorder has helped more than 1,100 people gain easier entry into recovery programs.

— A standing order signed by Dr. Rachel Levine in 2018 allowed EMS to leave behind more than 620 doses of naloxone.

More than 45 Centers of Excellence, administered by the Department of Human Services, are now providing evidence-based treatment to those on Medicaid suffering from a substance use disorder.

— The DART survey referral system was introduced to assist getting those who need treatment in navigating available resources.

— More than 1,500 prescribers in 2018 received education and with funding available to reach another 2,000 additional in 2019.

— More than 22,000 physicians have received training on how to prescribe opioids cautiously and judiciously.